The Enneagram for Attorneys

A Powerful Tool to Master the Inner Game of Practicing Law

Most attorneys spend years and many thousands of dollars developing legal expertise.

Far fewer invest the same energy in understanding themselves and how to flourish as practicing attorneys.

Yet the way you think, make decisions, respond to pressure, communicate, and build and sustain relationships has as much, if not more, influence on your long-term success as a lawyer.

The Enneagram is the most powerful tool I’ve found to develop a level of self-awareness that goes beyond other assessments and offers insights that can transform your work and your life if you let it.

The Enneagram doesn’t put you in a box. It shows you how to step out of one.

What Is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram is an ancient system of human understanding that has been refined through modern psychology into a sophisticated framework for leadership and personal development.

Unlike many personality assessments that focus primarily on observable behavior, the Enneagram explores the deeper motivations that drive our behavior.

It helps answer questions like:

• Why do I react this way under pressure?
• Why do certain situations energize—or drain—me?
• Why do I keep repeating the same patterns?
• Why do some people seem so easy to work with while others create constant friction?
• What strengths am I underusing?
• What blind spots might be limiting my effectiveness?

Waking up to who we think we are at the deepest levels and why we do what we do provides insights and opportunities for whole new levels of growth and development.

Why It Matters for Attorneys

The habits that helped you become a successful lawyer can also become the very habits that quietly limit your satisfaction and effectiveness:

• You become overly focused on proving yourself.
• You avoid conflict—or move toward it too quickly.
• You struggle to delegate, trust others, or disconnect from work.
• You know exactly what needs to change but find yourself repeating familiar patterns anyway.

These aren’t simply behavioral habits. They’re rooted in deeply held motivations (needs) that operate largely outside of conscious awareness.

The Enneagram helps bring those motivations into the light.

When you recognize what is driving your habitual way of being, you gain something every great lawyer values: Choice to do something different.

Instead of innocently operating on autopilot, you begin to see how to respond with greater intention, flexibility, and wisdom.

A Powerful Tool for Practice Groups and Other Teams

Every team has its own inner game.

Each person brings different motivations, assumptions, communication styles, and ways of responding to stress.

Without understanding those differences, teams often experience unnecessary conflict, misunderstand one another’s intentions, or fail to leverage the unique strengths each member brings.

The Enneagram creates a shared language for understanding those differences and how to navigate them in a clear-eyed, compassionate way. As team members develop greater insight into themselves and one another, trust grows, communication improves, conflict becomes more productive, and collaboration becomes more natural.

The result is a happier, healthier, more effective team.

Experience Matters

The Enneagram has become increasingly popular, but popularity has also led to widespread misunderstanding. The internet is full of misinformation about the Enneagram and self-proclaimed Enneagram experts who have no real training or certification in the complex tool. Too often it’s reduced to online quizzes, simplistic descriptions, or entertaining conversations that never lead to meaningful development.

Our work together with the Enneagram goes much deeper.

I have trained for many years with top Enneagram teachers around the country, completing both basic and advanced certifications. I previously met the rigorous standards set forth by the International Enneagram Association (IEA) – the flagship for professional Enneagram work – to be designated an Accredited Professional.
Just as importantly, I bring nearly two decades of experience practicing law.

That unique combination allows me to translate the Enneagram into practical strategies that help attorneys become more effective leaders, stronger colleagues, more trusted advisors, and more fulfilled professionals.

If you’re curious about how the Enneagram might support yours or your team’s development, let’s find a time to explore what’s possible.